The End

"I am not like you."

Xia Mu raised his head, locking eyes with Suzune. "Besides, that is only what you see on the surface. Behind the scenes, I am actually cooperating with others as well."

Even if he truly had the ability to accomplish all of this alone, so what?

Suzune was truly too dense. When she could have let others become her support to save herself time and effort, why not do so?

Suzune was choked up by Xia Mu's words. That was true; she didn't really understand Xia Mu either.

How could she dare to assert that he hadn't received help from others?

Watching Suzune Horikita fall into deep thought as the Correction progress bar gradually rose, Xia Mu had a realization.

Sure enough, when a person is at their most vulnerable, they are more willing to listen.

Suzune Horikita had been running a high fever for several days, and having just lost her Key Card yesterday, she was currently in exactly that state.

Coupled with Xia Mu's sudden show of concern, her defenses had been lowered.

Otherwise, given her personality, under normal circumstances, she would never have listened to a word he said.

With the breakthrough made, the subsequent Correction would be much easier.

Suzune was not impenetrable.

Or rather, no one is perfect; everyone has weaknesses.

"In your current condition, you cannot protect the Key Card."

Xia Mu tucked the Key Card into his pocket. "I will keep it for now. At the appropriate time, I will take you to capture the base."

For once, Suzune Horikita did not resist; she simply lowered her head and gave a soft "mm."

She knew her current situation as well.

"But there is one more thing I don't understand." Suzune Horikita struggled to prop herself up. "Why did you choose to steal it instead of just asking me directly?"

"I naturally have my own reasons; you don't need to ask."

Xia Mu pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Suzune. "This is the list of leaders from the other classes. Believe it or not, that is up to you."

"How you choose to act is also up to you."

Suzune took it and glanced at it, discovering that it was nearly identical to her own suspicions. Her pupils widened in shock. "How did you obtain this list?"

At this moment, Xia Mu pointed to his own head. "Didn't I just tell you? Partners."

As soon as these words were spoken, Suzune Horikita's heart trembled. "You mean, you have informants in the other classes!?"

Xia Mu smiled noncommittally, then turned and walked away. He didn't look back no matter how much Suzune called out, leaving a mysterious and unfathomable silhouette in Suzune Horikita's mind.

Go ahead and guess. I suspect you'll never figure it out even if you die.

Hm? Wait, why do I feel like I'm being a bit smug?

Xia Mu's figure gradually vanished into the horizon, leaving Suzune Horikita sitting where she was, staring at the paper in her hands in a daze.

Since arriving at this school, she had kept saying she would follow in her brother's footsteps and lead Class D to Class A, but it seemed that, up until now, she hadn't taken any substantial action.

Truly...

"Sigh."

A long, drawn-out sigh echoed through the quiet and dark jungle.

The seventh day, which was also the final day on the deserted island.

Having endured seven days and seven nights of torment, the students had lost some of their edge, and most had shed a bit of their naivety.

Of course, with the exception of Xia Mu.

He was currently looking radiant and well-fed.

After cleaning up the campsite, everyone gathered on the beach.

Suzune had already filled out the list of leaders for the other classes.

To everyone's surprise, Long Yuan had not left; he also popped out from the bushes.

However, his expression was not very pleasant.

Without even waiting for the results, he boarded the ship directly.

The leader of Class A also looked extremely grim.

Not long after, the final results were announced.

To everyone's surprise, Class D took first place with 334 points.

Converted into personal points, that meant an extra 30,000-plus per month.

Second place was Class B with 182.

Ichinose patted her chest in relief, her gaze turning toward Xia Mu with gratitude.

As for Class A, they were in third place with only fifty-something points.

This was what remained after a massive deduction of points; Katsuragi let out a cold snort, and the students of Class A all wore rather unsightly expressions.

Being hailed as the strongest, Class A had actually lost to two lower-ranked classes; it wouldn't be comfortable for anyone in their position.

As for Class C, zero.

It was more or less what everyone expected, so no one was particularly surprised.

Those who knew a little about the inside story understood that Long Yuan had guessed the leaders of the other classes incorrectly.

Those who didn't know the inside story just felt they deserved it, because on the first day, the students of that class had lived so lavishly using their points, and almost all of them had withdrawn from the assessment to board the ship.

The students of Class D were naturally cheering and jumping for joy, as this was the first time they had outperformed other classes.

This made them feel much better, having always been referred to as "defective products."

Didn't you say we were trash? Now that the trash is riding on your heads, how does that feel?

As for Xia Mu, he was neither sad nor happy.

These results were all within his expectations, and he had even prepared contingency plans, though it was a pity they hadn't been needed.

Or rather, the root cause of all this was something he had brought about himself.

None of Long Yuan's objectives had been achieved, so he could be considered to have been completely defeated this time.

After the results were announced, everyone returned to the cruise ship.

Long Yuan stood at the bow, his gaze sweeping over the people from Class B and Class D, finally resting on Ichinose and Suzune.

He had cooperated with Class A, and they wouldn't have sabotaged him, especially since they had also suffered heavy losses.

Therefore, it could only be the people from Class D or Class A who had ruined his plans.

However, looking at these two, neither seemed like the type who could have seen through his scheme and sabotaged it from within.

Who could it be?

His gaze subconsciously drifted toward Xia Mu, that inconspicuous student.

Upon meeting his slightly mocking eyes, Long Yuan furrowed his brows.

It seemed he would have to find a way to uncover the true mastermind behind Class D; no matter who it was, he would make them pay the price!!

After returning to the cruise ship, Xia Mu went back to his room and slept soundly until he was completely refreshed.

He hadn't slept well last night, and on the seventh day, a recovered Suzune had dragged him along to ask a bunch of questions, though she hadn't managed to get anything out of him.

Currently, the Correction progress for Suzune was 5%.

Kikyo Kushida was at 53%.

Wang Meiyu was at 52%.

Karuizawa Kei was at 23%.

Ayanokoji was at 1%.

He needed to find time to complete Wang Meiyu's Correction mission, and after that, it would be Karuizawa Kei.

The others weren't urgent, as their issues were more serious and would require more time to resolve.

Xia Mu's current total Skill Point count was 70, so he could learn more skills.

This time, what should he learn?

Xia Mu pondered while scrolling through his phone.

"Ring-ring~"

At that moment, an unfamiliar number called Xia Mu's phone.

Xia Mu narrowed his eyes and hung up.

"Ring-ring~"

The phone rang again.

He hung up once more.

But the other party remained persistent, and just as Xia Mu was about to blacklist the number, they sent a text message.

[Student Xia Mu, it's me, Ichinose!!!]

She had even specifically added three exclamation marks.